All Imperfect Things
by Boogum
Summary: She stared at the empty space where he had stood, and a single tear rolled down her cheek. She could only wish that it would be the last she would ever shed for him.


This story was written for **Cadaverous Apples **prompt in the DG Forum Fic Exchange - Spring 2010. It won best one-shot overall and best characterisation of Ginny. Thanks to all who supported my fic, and thank you to scubarang for beta-reading at such short notice.

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**All Imperfect Things**

"For Merlin's sake, Harry, would you please stop leaving your dirty washing on the floor!" Ginny cried in exasperation as she bent down to pick up the offending articles of clothing.

Harry grabbed his wand off the bedside table and glanced at her with a distracted expression on his face. "What? Oh, right. Sorry. I was in a rush."

"You're always in a rush," she grumbled, more to herself.

He smiled and leaned down to give her a small kiss on the lips. "I'll remember to put it in the laundry next time."

"You'd better."

"What a bossy woman you are," he observed with teasing affection.

"You're the one who married me."

"I know. I wonder what I was thinking."

She laughed in spite of herself and gave him a playful push. "Get to work, you old fool."

He grinned at her and then Disapparated with a small pop. Ginny's smile immediately faded as she found herself alone again. She glanced down at the washing in her arms and heaved a heavy sigh. She was really getting quite tired of playing house wife.

"Mum! Have you seen my pink slippers? _MUM_!"

Ginny closed her eyes. Yes, she was indeed sick of being a house wife.

**X**

The day passed in all its usual monotony. Ginny used the Floo to take Lily to the local primary school and then came home to finish cleaning the house. After that she had nothing to do but watch daytime television until she picked up her daughter again – a respite that never lasted long since Lily only stayed to tell her about what she had done at school that day before skipping off to her room. Ginny then resumed her station in front of the television.

Sometimes she wished that she had never let Harry buy the weird Muggle contraption. It was frankly dangerous for the way it somehow managed to suck her in with its trashy talk shows and Soaps. She could literally feel her brain cells dying with each second that passed, yet every time she had tried to do something else – such as reading a book or taking up a new hobby – she always found herself returning to the television. It was incredibly depressing.

Ginny glanced up at the clock and realised that she should start making dinner now. There was a time when she would have cooked something elaborate in the hopes of impressing her husband or, at the very least, for her own pleasure, but now she only cared if it was edible and would cook fast. Tonight, she decided to make fish, chips and salad. It was quick and easy to cook – just the way she liked it. Besides, she wanted to watch _Who Wants To Be A Millionaire_. She learnt a lot about the Muggle world from that show, and she was even getting quite good at guessing the answers correctly.

"Mum, I'm hungry," Lily moaned, stomping into the kitchen.

"Hello, Hungry, I'm Mum."

Lily rolled her eyes. "That's so lame, Mum."

Ginny simply smiled and charmed the tomatoes to start chopping themselves into even chunks for the salad.

"When is dinner going to be ready?" Lily persisted.

"About five minutes. Why don't you go set the places ready on the table? Your father will be home soon."

"Okay!"

Ginny turned her attention back to the salad as Lily bustled about putting placemats and cutlery on the table. The music from _Who Wants To Be A Millionaire_ started playing from the television in the other room, accompanied by Lily singing along.

"Do you think we could ever be on the show, Mum?" Lily asked, turning wide, inquisitive eyes upon her mother.

"No, honey, it's a Muggle show. You know that magical people aren't allowed to join in Muggle things."

"But _why_?"

Ginny sighed. "Just finish setting the table, Lily."

Lily was still grumbling about the unfairness of it all when Harry appeared in the kitchen.

"Hello, Dad," Lily greeted. "How was work? Did you catch any bad guys?"

"Actually, I spent the day doing paper work. You wouldn't have enjoyed it at all," he responded, ruffling her hair.

"_Dad_!" she moaned, scowling as she smoothed down the red bird nest she now sported on her head.

"You'll get over it," he said cheerfully. He glanced at the dinner Ginny was now dishing up onto three plates. "Fish, chips and salad, huh?"

Ginny raised an eyebrow at his quizzical expression. "Would you rather I not cook at all?"

"I wasn't complaining," he said hastily. "Just commentating."

"Oh, just commentating," she repeated dryly. "Why don't you just come out and say that you don't like my food?"

"I didn't mean it like—"

"Yes you did! I could see it in your face!"

"Fine," Harry snapped, "if you really want to know the truth, yes, I am a bit tired of fish, chips and salad. It's all we ever seem to eat around here."

She dumped the plate of food in front of him. "Well, I'm sorry I can't be brilliant at everything like Hermione, who works, cleans, cooks fancy meals, and brings up all her children perfectly."

"I never said you had to be like Hermione," Harry retorted irritably, "but it would be nice to have a bit of variety with the food we eat. It's not like you don't have time to cook different meals. You're at home all day."

Ginny placed her hands on her hips. "So now you're saying I do nothing?"

"No!" He sighed in exasperation and ran his hands through his hair. "Damn it, Ginny, why do you have to get so wound up by everything? Can't you see that you're upsetting Lily?"

Ginny stared at her daughter, who was indeed looking very distressed. An apology was on the tip of her tongue, but then she thought of Harry's words, and she suddenly clenched her hands into fists.

"It's always my fault, isn't it?" she spat passionately. "I'm the one who gets angry! I'm the one who upsets the children! I'm the one who can't do anything right in your eyes!"

"Ginny," he began in a much softer voice, reaching out to her with his hands.

"No!" she cried, wrenching herself away from him. "Just leave me alone, Harry!"

Ginny picked up her dinner from the bench and retreated to the lounge where _Who Wants To Be A Millionaire_ was still playing on the television. She moodily stabbed at her fish, but she found that she had no appetite. She dropped the fork back on the plate with a sigh and placed her head in her hands, rubbing at her temples to smooth away the sudden migraine. Gentle mumblings could be heard from the kitchen. She paused to listen.

"Is Mum going to leave us?" she heard Lily ask in a small voice.

"Of course not," Harry responded.

"But she's unhappy, and Regina said that her mum left her dad because she was unhappy."

"Your mother is just going through some difficult times at the moment, Lily. She's not going to leave."

"Do you think it's my fault that she's upset?"

"What on earth put that idea into your head?" Harry exclaimed in astonishment.

"Regina said—"

"I think we've heard enough of what Regina said," Harry interposed grimly. "Listen to me, Lily, your mother loves you very much; she is not going to leave you, and it's certainly not your fault that she's frustrated at the moment. Just give her time."

"I wish she'd be happy again now," Lily complained. "She's no fun when she's grumpy."

"Well, perhaps if we be extra nice to her and help her out more around the house, she will get happier more quickly. Think we can do that?"

"Yes!"

"Alright then, let's start by eating this dinner she made for us, shall we?"

"Okay!"

Ginny reached up to wipe the solitary tear away from her cheek. She felt incredibly stupid in that moment, but she couldn't bring herself to go and apologise to her husband. He had been doing so many things to annoy her lately, but she knew, deep down, that her frustration was mainly arising from her own sense of failure. She was a stay-at-home mum who watched television all day, did half-hearted cleaning, cooked basic meals, and looked after her ten-year-old daughter. To hear Harry defending her to Lily just seemed like another blow to her ego. He could forgive so easily, yet she always struggled to forget even the smallest things. Somehow, she was always the one in the wrong.

"Mum!" Lily called some minutes later. "Dad and I are going to get some ice cream. Do you want to come?"

"No," Ginny replied in a dead voice. "I'll just stay here."

"Okay!"

Ginny heard the door shut and let out a heavy sigh. On the television, Frederick Davies won fifty thousand pounds.

**X**

Ginny lay in her bed that night, staring intently up at the shadowy ceiling. A crease formed on her brow.

"Harry."

"Mm," he mumbled sleepily.

"I want to work."

There was a pause, and then he rolled over on his side and looked at her through the semidarkness. "You want to work?" he repeated.

"I want a job. You don't understand how frustrating it is to have to sit at home every day and do the same things over and over. I can't stand it, Harry. I need to get out. I need to do _something_!"

"What about Lily?"

"She'll be starting Hogwarts next year. I'm sure Luna or someone could look after her on the days that I have work until then. Besides, it's not like it'll be every day."

Harry flicked on the light with his wand and sat up in the bed. He stared at her with a puzzled frown on his face. "I don't understand. You've never mentioned anything like this to me before."

"Well, I'm telling you now."

"Yeah, but—"

"I'm unhappy, Harry. I hate my life. I hate what I'm becoming. This house wifely role I've been leading isn't enough for me anymore. I want to feel successful; I want to feel like I'm achieving something." She stared at him intently. "Don't you realise that while you've been out living your dream, I've had to give up everything so that we could have a family? My career as an international Quidditch player was over from the first moment I got pregnant with James, and since then I have done nothing but live for my children. Now I want to live for myself again. I want to feel that I actually have a life and that I am my own person."

Harry was quiet for a moment. "I never knew you felt that way. Why didn't you say anything to me before? I could have helped you with the children more. I could have—"

"Can you honestly tell me that you would have put off becoming an Auror to help with the kids?" Ginny asked bluntly.

"That's not – I mean, one of us had to work."

"Exactly. _One_ of us had to work, and I accepted that, but I can't do it anymore. I just can't. Merlin knows I've tried to be happy with my lot, but I'm not that person who sits at home all day, making scrapbooks and baking while slaving after my children. I never was that person, Harry."

"Yeah, but working? It's a big step, Ginny."

"I'm thirty-eight years old," she responded dryly. "I think I'll be able to handle it."

"You really want to do this, don't you?"

"Wouldn't you?"

Harry met her earnest brown eyes and let out a small sigh. "Fine. Do what you want. I'm not your jailer. It's not like I can stop you from working."

Ginny smiled and leaned down to kiss him on the lips. "Thank you."

**X**

For the next two weeks Ginny looked for a job. It was by no means easy. She had no qualifications and no job experience apart from her time as an international Quidditch player, and she knew that it was impossible that she would ever be able to take up that career again. Harry never said anything, but she could tell that he was just a little smug over this. He felt she was silly to want to work when she didn't have to, and his ideal of a wife did not include an ambitious one. She would have hated him for it if she didn't know that he really just didn't understand how frustrating it was for her. He always had been a little clueless when it came to women.

Ginny stared down at the slip of parchment in her hand and then glanced back up at the white building in front of her. She smoothed down her robes and then walked up the marble steps and through the doors. A pretty receptionist greeted her with a cool smile.

"Can I help you?"

"I'm here for an interview with Adelaide Matthews," Ginny answered, and was surprised to realise how nervous she felt.

"Ginevra Potter!" an elderly woman with grey hair exclaimed as she walked smilingly towards her. "We finally meet. How do you do? I'm Adelaide Matthews."

"Oh, hello," Ginny said awkwardly as she took the proffered hand.

Adelaide smiled and gestured for Ginny to follow her down the hallway to her office. A door to Ginny's right suddenly opened, and a coldly handsome man with blond hair walked out. The redhead let out an involuntary gasp when she saw him, causing the man's hard grey eyes to flicker to her. She saw surprise register in those steel-like irises, and then his expression became like stone.

"Ginevra," he greeted with just the slightest hint of an edge to his voice.

"Draco," she responded coolly.

"Mrs Potter is here for an interview," Adelaide explained with cheerful obliviousness to the tension between the two.

"Is she now?" Draco replied with an ironic smile. "Well, I'd better not hold you up then."

Ginny watched the blond continue on his way with a rather bitter taste in her mouth.

"Does he work here?" she asked, already dreading the answer.

Adelaide laughed. "Work here? My dear, he _owns_ this company."

"I see."

The elderly woman frowned. "Are you all right? You look quite pale."

"I'm fine." Ginny gave a forced smile at the woman beside her. "It's just been a long time since Draco and I have seen each other."

"Oh, you know Mr Malfoy?"

"I did once..."

_He pressed her back against the bed, hands already fumbling with her clothes as he claimed her lips with his. She kissed him back fiercely, wrapping her legs tight around his waist in a desperate need to be closer. His hand skimmed along her bare back, and she let out a shaky breath as she felt him unclip her bra. _

_Their eyes met: his questioning, while hers were filled with unrestrained lust. She placed her hand on his and slowly dragged it up her body, letting him caress her naked breast. His eyes darkened to the colour of storm clouds, and then he was kissing her even more passionately as he struggled to remove the rest of their clothes..._

"Mrs Potter?"

Ginny blinked as the memory faded away to be replaced with the pristine white walls of Lightning Enterprises.

"Sorry," she mumbled.

"It's alright, dear," Adelaide laughed. "Shall we get started on this interview, then?"

Ginny nodded. "Of course."

**X**

"Well, I got the job," Ginny said to Harry that night as they ate dinner.

"That's great, Ginny."

"Draco is my boss."

"You seem rather upset by that," he observed with a frown.

"I don't like him," she said matter-of-factly. "I don't want anything to do with him."

Harry sighed and placed down his knife and fork. "Draco and his family have done a lot of good for the wizarding world over the past twenty-one years. Besides, he's nothing like how he used to be. He was perfectly polite to me the last time I saw him at Platform 9 and 3/4 when we were taking Albus to Hogwarts."

Ginny gave a scornful little laugh. "Perfectly polite."

_The blond stared at her through derisive grey eyes. "What do you want, Ginevra?"_

"_Can't a woman say a simple hello?"_

"_Not you." _

_She ignored the insult and forced a smile to her lips. "Where is your wife? I didn't see her when you were saying goodbye to your son."_

"_Astoria is not feeling well. I thought it best she stay home."_

"_What a shame, and here I was looking so forward to meeting the infamous Mrs Malfoy again. She's such a nice woman."_

_His expression hardened. "I believe your husband is waiting for you."_

"_He's talking with his friends."_

"_Then perhaps you should join them," the blond said curtly._

_He made to walk away, but she suddenly gripped his wrist, all traces of amusement gone from her expression as she looked up fiercely into his eyes. _

"_Why won't you just talk to me?" she whispered heatedly._

"_You should know that better than anyone. Besides, I'm simply giving you what you wanted." He calmly removed her fingers from her wrist and gave her one of his ironic smiles. "Goodbye, Ginevra."_

Ginny let out a breath and slowly uncurled her fingers.

"Are you alright?" Harry asked with some concern.

She stared into her husband's eyes, and for a moment she hated the fact that they were emerald green.

"I'm fine, Harry," she said with unnerving calm. "I'm perfectly fine."

**X**

It had been three weeks since Ginny had started working for Lightning Enterprises. The company had just made a new model for the Lightning broom series, and Ginny, as well as the rest of the advertisers, were supposed to be coming up with a way to market it profitably to customers. It was unlikely that her idea would be picked because of her lack of experience, not to mention her boss's overt dislike of her, so no one was more surprised than Ginny when she received a memo from Adelaide, which told her that Draco Malfoy wished to see her in his office.

Ginny stood up from her small cubicle and walked down the white corridors until she came to the imposing wooden door. She knocked once and waited, feeling just a little uncertain.

"Come in."

She pushed open the door and walked into the richly furbished room. Her eyes instantly fell on the handsome blond sitting casually behind his desk of deep mahogany. He asked her to shut the door, and then he gestured for her to take the seat the opposite him. Ginny sat down and regarded him through cool brown eyes.

"You wanted to see me, Mr Malfoy?" she asked in a voice of icy politeness.

"Oh, come now, Ginevra, we don't need such formalities," he drawled sardonically. "You and I both know we've been too intimate for that."

"I prefer to forget what happened between us at Hogwarts," she retorted coldly.

"Do you?"

Ginny narrowed her eyes. "What did you want to speak to me about, Draco?"

He smiled pleasantly at her, though she knew that there was nothing pleasant behind the action.

"I want you to be the spokesperson for marketing the new Lightning 300."

"_What_?"

"I don't see why you're so surprised. You're an ex-international Quidditch player and married to the famous Harry Potter. It's only natural you should sell our broom."

"And what if I don't want to?" she couldn't help but reply, unable to resist the old habit of behaving contrary to his wishes.

A faint smirk curled his lips. "Well, Ginevra, I would have to tell you that even if you did shag me during Hogwarts, you're still one of my employees, and I don't take kindly to my employees saying no."

Ginny could think of no response to that and folded her arms crossly as she looked the other way. He was by no means perturbed by her coldness and simply extended his hand.

"Do we have a deal?"

Ginny knew that there was no point in refusing the offer and reluctantly placed her hand in his. A jolt of energy surged through her blood at the contact, and she quickly pulled her hand back in surprise, her eyes wide as she looked up into his. They stared at each other for a moment, and then he leaned back casually in his chair.

"Well, then," he said. "I guess that's all."

Draco returned his attention to the stack of parchment on his desk, completely dismissing her. Ginny stared at him for a moment, and then she abruptly stood up and left the room.

**X**

The weeks dragged on, and Ginny did indeed become the spokesperson for the new Lightning 300 broomstick. During that time she found herself working more closely with Draco – something she did not cherish at all. Things had become very strained between them, and it was obvious that neither had forgotten what had happened during her sixth year at Hogwarts. Ginny was frankly glad that tonight was the unveiling of the new broom model to British markets; it would mean the end of her close working relationship with the blond.

"Almost ready?" Harry asked as he came to stand beside her at the vanity.

Ginny took one last look in the mirror and was justifiably satisfied with what she saw. She was wearing a floor-length, strapless dress of smoky grey that set her fuller figure off to advantage. Her long red hair was twisted up into a stylish bun on her head, with a few curls hanging loosely around her face. Her makeup was relatively natural, and she wore no jewellery except for the pearl earrings dangling from her ears. It was simple, but she looked stunning all the same.

"You look beautiful," Harry murmured, leaning down to give her a small kiss on her cheek.

"You don't look so bad yourself," she observed with twinkling eyes as she took in his, for once, well-groomed appearance.

Harry grinned and took her arm in his. They Disapparated together and then reappeared outside the grand building where the unveiling was being held. Ginny could see Draco with his wife not too far ahead of them, and she felt a small surge of hate for the golden-haired witch whose beauty seemed impervious to the decaying hands of time. It had always been somewhat of a sore point with her that Astoria Malfoy could remain so beautiful.

"Shall we go in?" Harry asked, smiling down at her.

Ginny nodded and followed her husband up the marble stairs. She pointedly ignored the blond and his slim, youthful-looking wife.

**X**

The redhead took a sip of her champagne and regarded the guests through bored eyes. She had given her speech with Draco and was now waiting for an opportunity to leave the convention without being seen as rude. She was a bit annoyed that Harry had vanished, and she hoped that he would not take long with whatever he was doing. All she wanted right now was to go home.

"All alone, Ginevra?"

Ginny exhaled noisily and swung around to face the intruder of her solitude. "A rather redundant question, don't you think, since you can see that I am alone."

Draco allowed himself a small smile. "You always were such a charming conversationalist."

"What do you want, Draco?" Ginny said shortly.

He opened his mouth to speak, but just then Adelaide's smiling face appeared before them.

"I hope I'm not interrupting anything?" she asked in her usual cheerful way.

"Not at all," Draco said evenly.

Adelaide looked from one to the other, and then a laugh escaped her lips. "My word, you two match!"

Ginny and Draco exchanged startled, and not very pleased, glances.

"What do you mean we match?" Ginny demanded.

"Your dress, dear," Adelaide explained with an amused smile. "It's exactly the same colour as Mr Malfoy's eyes."

Ginny felt the faint trace of a blush heat her cheeks as those same grey eyes stared piercingly at her. She wondered if he thought she had done it on purpose, and then she wondered with even more dismay if she actually had unconsciously chosen the dress because of its close association with the blond.

"Excuse me," Ginny said agitatedly "I must go find my husband."

Draco watched her leave with a slight crease on his brow.

"Did I say something wrong?" Adelaide asked fretfully.

"No, my dear Adelaide," the blond responded with an indefinable smile. "You said something true."

**X**

It had been six months since Ginny had started working for Lightning Enterprises. Her relationship with Draco Malfoy had not improved; if anything, it had got much worse. She could not deny the fact that, even after all these years, she was still attracted to him; however, this only served to make her edgy and behave even harsher towards him than what she might have. Draco was by no means any friendlier in his behaviour towards her, though there was an uncomfortable glint of amusement in his eyes whenever they spoke. It was that knowing smile, combined with his taunting words from their last encounter, which had her fuming now as she sat at the bench in the Hogsmeade pub with a cup of firewhiskey in hand.

"I think you've had enough to drink, Ginny," Hannah said firmly, pushing the cup of alcohol away from her brooding friend.

"I just hate him so much, Hannah!" the redhead cried, completely oblivious to the fact that the pub owner had said anything. "I swear that if I wasn't so desperate to get out of the house, I'd quit right now!"

Ginny went to take another swig of alcohol when she realised there was no glass in her hand. She stared blankly at the wooden bench for a moment, and then she turned confused eyes on the blonde in front of her.

"What happened to my drink?"

Hannah sighed. "You, my dear, are extremely sloshed. I'm going to Floo your husband to take you home."

"No! No, no, no, no, _NO_! I don't want to go home! I refuse to!"

Hannah could only shake her head in exasperation. "Honestly, Ginny, why do you always have to get so damn stubborn when you're drunk?"

Looking exactly like the stubborn mule she had been called, Ginny snatched the glass of firewhiskey back from the pub owner and downed the rest of the fiery liquid in one gulp. She placed the empty glass down on the bench with a satisfied 'ah' and then stood woozily up from her chair.

"Hey, where do you think you're going?" Hannah demanded.

Ginny ignored her friend and exited the pub before anyone could stop her. She made her haphazard way down the street, absently muttering to herself, when her foot caught on a stray bottle. The redhead stumbled forward with a surprised yelp, and then she suddenly found herself being held against a broad chest. She looked up dazedly and met a pair of familiar grey eyes.

"Oh, this is just perfect," she slurred bitterly as she realised who was holding her.

"Nice to see you too, Ginevra."

Ginny wrenched herself away from the blond and almost toppled over again as she lost her balance. Draco quickly caught her and looked disapprovingly down at her.

"How much have you had to drink?"

"That's none of your business," she snapped.

"Oh, none of my business, is it?"

"That's right." She smiled triumphantly, if rather drunkenly, up at him. "Nothing of what I do is your business. You're not my husband."

"Thank you for reminding me," he responded dryly.

She gave a cruel laugh. "Is that why you hate me, Draco? Because I chose Harry over you?"

His jaw tightened imperceptibly. "I think it's time that you went home, Ginevra."

Ginny just laughed again, but she made no resistance to him pulling her closer so that he could Disapparate with her. They reappeared outside her house, and then he half-carried, half-dragged her up the steps and knocked on the door. She was still talking her drunken nonsense to him, but he paid no heed to what she was saying.

The door suddenly opened and Harry stared in some surprise at the odd spectacle of his wife in Draco Malfoy's arms.

"What the—"

"Your wife," Draco said shortly, and thrust the redhead at the other man.

"Wait a minute," Harry began, but Draco had already gone.

**X**

Harry lay in his bed with a troubled frown on his face as he listened to his wife sobbing beside him. It had been a long time since he had seen her that drunk or heard her cry in such anguish. Though he had tried to ask her what was wrong, she had refused to speak to him or, indeed, accept any form of comfort. She just kept muttering that she had made a mistake and that _he_ would despise her even more now. Harry wasn't sure who 'he' was, but he did know the sound of a broken heart when he heard it.

Neither of them slept well that night.

**X**

The blond stood at the window with his hands clasped behind his back, staring out into the brooding moors that surrounded the manor. It had been a week since he had found Ginny drunkenly walking along the streets of Hogsmeade, and in that time things had become very tense between them. A heavy frown marred his brow, and his hands gradually became more clenched as he remembered the redhead's spiteful words. She must have known how it would hurt him – how the memory of that day when she had chosen Harry over him even now filled his heart with bitterness.

"Damn you, Ginevra," he muttered.

The seventeen-year-old boy had not been able to handle her cruelty; the adult in him was no less distressed. It had been a mistake to love her then; it was madness for him to care for her now, yet he could not deny that he still did have feelings for her, twisted though they may be.

There was a soft knock at the door.

"Come in," Draco said curtly.

The door opened and Draco turned to see not Astoria as he had been expecting, but Ginevra Potter herself. His expression hardened, and his eyes resembled nothing more than two chips of ice.

"What are you doing in my home?" he asked coldly. "If Astoria sees you here—"

"Please, Draco, I need to talk to you."

"I think you've said enough."

Ginny shook her head as tears sprung to her eyes. "I know you hate me, and you have every reason to do so, but please just let me explain."

"What's there to explain? You made your choice very clear that day you told me to leave."

"I—"

"What?" he growled, taking a step towards her. "What is it that you want from me?"

Ginny met his intense gaze, and then she suddenly closed the distance between them and crushed her lips against his. It was too much for his already strained control, and he groaned in agony, finally surrendering to his suppressed desires as he threw his arms around her and returned the embrace with fervour. The kiss was raw and untamed, filled with the wild passion that had always characterised their relationship, but then Draco suddenly saw in his mind the image of a golden-haired witch with kind hazel eyes, and he abruptly broke away.

"What?" Ginny asked a little frustrated. "What's wrong?"

"Astoria."

Judging by her expression, the redhead was not pleased with this remark.

He took another step back from her and looked at her through suddenly dead eyes. "You should leave."

"But—"

"You're married, and so am I."

"But we love each other!" Ginny cried passionately.

"Yes, and you made your choice for who you wanted to be with. I told you that I would not share you with another man; my mind has not changed."

"But I love you," she said more pitifully.

He reached out and gently brushed the tears away from her cheeks, and his voice became suddenly tender. "Go home, Ginny. This is not the place for you."

Ginny let out a broken sob and Disapparated with a loud crack. He stared at the empty space where she had stood and sighed heavily to himself. Somehow, he knew that she would not let things rest there.

**X**

The redhead paced up and down her room, clenching and unclenching her hands as she thought of everything that had passed that day. Angry tears spilled from her eyes as she realised what a fool she had been all these years. Even if Harry held her heart, it was Draco who claimed her soul, and she could not live without her soul. She did not understand how she could not have seen it before.

"Why couldn't I have realised how much I love him sooner?" she demanded of the empty room. "Why did it have to be now when he refuses to have me?"

Deep down, however, she knew that she only had herself to blame. She had thought that she could love two men, though only Draco had been aware of the situation. When he refused to be a part of her selfish games any longer, she had been forced to choose between them. She had chosen Harry, knowing that he would give her the security and understanding she so desired. But even though she knew that she would always love her husband, it would never be in the same way that she loved the blond. Harry was home, but Draco was a part of her.

Ginny placed her head in her hands and tried to ignore the sickening feeling of guilt churning inside her. So what if it was wrong to love Draco when she was married to Harry and had three children? All that mattered was that she loved him.

"I can't let him go like this," Ginny whispered fiercely. "I just can't."

She returned to Malfoy manor with all the intention of making the blond change his mind. However, it was Narcissa Malfoy, not Draco, who met her in the parlour.

"I'm here to see your son," Ginny announced in what she hoped was a haughty voice.

Narcissa allowed a frosted smile to touch her lips. "Then it behoves me to inform you that my son has no wish to see you. He thought you would return and charged me with giving you this."

She held out a single note of parchment. Ginny snatched it off the older woman and greedily devoured its contents. It read:

_**Ginevra,**_

_**I knew you would return here in the hopes of persuading me into running away with you or doing something equally reckless, which is why I write to you now. I don't think I could have faced you again. You, my darling fool, are far too tempting for your own good.**_

_**I suppose I need not say that I never truly stopped loving you, but you are not the only person to lay claim to my heart now. I must think of my family, even if you will not do so for yours, and so I have decided to honour your wish and cut all ties between us for both our sakes.**_

_**Do not hold it against me, love. Remember that you chose to be with Potter, and though I am reluctant to admit it, he has been a good husband to you. Don't throw that away for me. **_

_**Draco. **_

Ginny closed her eyes as she screwed up the note in her hand. "He is gone, then?" she asked in a voice that sounded foreign even to her own ears.

"He knows where his duty lies."

"Why would he do that? Why would he just leave?"

"Because he loves his family." Narcissa seemed to struggle with her next words. "And, I expect, because he knows that he loves you far too much for his own good."

Ginny tried to ignore the pain building in her chest and lifted her tear-filled eyes to that impassive face. "What can I do now? If Harry ever knew what—"

"You will return to your husband, of course, and you will speak of nothing that has happened between yourself and my son."

"I just can't forget what has happened!"

"You can and you will." Narcissa looked at her piercingly. "You _do_ love your husband, don't you?"

Ginny thought of Harry and felt the pain in her chest tighten that little bit more.

"Yes, of course," she said quietly.

That was the point, after all. She _did_ love her husband, and she always had loved him. But Draco, she had discovered, was infinitely dearer to her. Now he was gone – vanished just as she had desired him to do all those years ago when she had first made her choice.

"_I want you to leave."_

_The blond took a hasty step forward, but she pulled out her wand and levelled it at his face, her own a grim mask of dry tears and bloodshot eyes._

"_I want you to leave," she repeated firmly._

_He paused, and his expression suddenly hardened as he realised she was serious. _

"_If I leave now, I won't come back," he promised her._

"_That's what I'm counting on."_

_A small, humourless smile graced his lips. "I see. Thank you for making your feelings for me so clear."_

"_You're welcome," she replied in an emotionless voice._

_His eyes glittered with hurt and frustration. For a moment it seemed that he would demand her to change her mind, but then his expression hardened again, and he abruptly turned on his heel and left the room._

_She stared at the empty space where he had stood, and a single tear rolled down her cheek. She could only wish that it would be the last she would ever shed for him. _

* * *

**Roma's Prompt:**

**Basic outline: **Completely compliant with everything, including the Epilogue, but you have to explain why Ginny ended up with Harry and not Draco. I'm thinking it'll be based in the present-day and the past (i.e. Ginny and Draco's romance through Hogwarts) is explained in flashbacks. Something has to have pushed them to their respective spouses featured (or not, in Astoria's case) in the Epilogue. The reason they start thinking about this again is because they're forced to work together or see each other on a regular basis (up to you). Can be completely unconsummated (their present-day romance) or can result in a full-flown affair. Pretty open-ended on that part, but I'd like to see some sort of plot development for the present-day. The tone of this I can see as being a bit more remote, and less of full-blown fiery encounters between Draco and Ginny, unless they build up to it. The snark should be more bitter, and they should both be hardened to the other (at least in the beginning).

**Must haves: **Remembrances of tension-filled past encounters (maybe your interpretation of the vague meeting at Platform 9 and 3/4 in the Epilogue). Narcissa and/or Lucius playing a somewhat prominent role (but less of Molly+Arthur). The kids having at least some role (don't forget they exist!). Guilt from Ginny for feeling for Draco when she also loves Harry.

**No-no's: **Offspring hating. Harry/Ginny hating (Ginny loves Harry, too, but it's a different kind of love and perhaps it'd be nice to show how she realizes that). Any sort of Scorpius/Potter or Scorpius/Weasley pairings, because then that would make it a little weird if Ginny and Draco do end up together again (although it's fine if they're friends). Much attention to the Golden Trio, though I realize this may be unavoidable. I don't want Hermione and Ginny to be best friends. Draco's status having diminished post-war: although the Malfoys are still regarded with suspicion, I don't want outright hate and poverty thrust onto them.

**Rating range: **T+

**Bonus points: **An encounter at a pub. Ginny in a grey (or silver) dress that matches Draco's eyes. Draco gifting Ginny something touching and heartfelt that she has to hide from Harry.


End file.
